Wanderer
by TheInnocentLookingOne
Summary: Poppy's the kind of girl who could entrap you with a look, who never had much of an issue with anybody, least of all other werewolves. That is, until her father found out that she wasn't his and sent her wandering cross country in hopes to avoid him. Now, enter our favourite Beacon Hills pack and what do you get?
1. Chapter 1

Poppy walked through the town swiftly but casually, hands deep within the pockets of her plaid pea-coat jacket, hood up, hiding her face. She knew what she was doing was dangerous, being on other Werewolf territory considering she was an Omega, but she needed to rest a couple days before leaving again, and that was something she was determined to do. Walking into a small cafe, Poppy let her hood fall as she breathed in the scent of coffee and soup and warmth. Letting a small smile grace her lips, the young wolf walked up to the counter and gave the cashier her most disarming smile.

"What can I do for you?" He asked, looking up and giving her a smile in return.

"Caramel mocha, please," she said, barely taking more than a glance at the menu as the boy nodded and went off to make her order. She liked places like this, where they always made sure you had your product when you gave the money and no earlier. Turning and leaning her back against the counter, she looked around the cafe, taking in all the different people. She could occasionally feel a pair of eyes glance her way. She paid it no mind, Beacon Hills was a small town, it was obvious most of them knew each other, so they would be apprehensive toward strangers. Poppy totally understood. She smelled her coffee and turned to face the counter just as it was being slid before her.

"That'll be four ninety-five," the boy said, and Poppy pulled a ten dollar bill out of her pocket, pressing it into his hand and smiling as she leaned in slightly.

"Keep the change," she winked and took her drink, leaving the cashier looking somewhat dazed. Poppy knew she had that affect on people, her mother always said it was the eyes. Her family all had eyes that were a captivating shade of grey-green, and Poppy was really beginning to miss them, but they were overbearing and she needed to do her own thing, regardless of her status as an Omega. Exiting the cafe, Poppy took a glance at her phone for the time, and bumped into a boy walking the other way.

"Oh! I'm sorry," She said, at the same time that he started with- "No, it was totally my fault."

"No, I'm really a klutz," she lied, tucking some shortish blonde hair behind her ears. "I'm Poppy." she held out her gloved hand and smiled brightly.

"Isaac," he took her hand and shook, giving an apprehensive smile in return. "Nice to meet you."

"You too," she said, gnawing at her lip and taking a sip of her mocha. "I should probably be going-"

"You're new here aren't you?" he blurted before blushing, which immediately made Poppy like him as she chuckled.

"I guess. I'm really just passing through, needed a few days to stop and rest." She answered. "Kinda taking a vacation from my family." Isaac nodded in understanding, and Poppy blinked and shook her head as her wolf whined at her, desperate to get away.

"You okay?" Isaac asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm fine," she ran a hand through her hair out of habit. "Tired, I guess. Anyway, I'll let you get going. Nice meeting you, Isaac." She turned and started walking away, inner wolf whining desperately and the word floated into her mind: _Beta_. She was only lucky he didn't see her for what she was. Pulling her hood up, she sped her pace fractionally and took a sip of her coffee, trying to calm her racing heart.

Isaac frowned as the girl walked away, but shrugged it off and continued to the cafe where he was supposed to pick up Stiles. The Sheriff had managed to convince his son to get a job, so he'd applied at the town's best cafe and got the job because of his people skills.

"Stiles," Isaac called as he walked over to the counter. "What's up?"

"Not much," Stiles shrugged. "You want a hot chocolate before I get off?"

"Sure," Isaac accepted as he sat down at one of the stools by the counter. "It's getting cold."

"Definitely," Stiles agreed as he started making his friend's drink. "Cute girl was in here earlier," he mentioned. "Really cute. Can't have been local." he sighed, as if debating his chances of meeting her again.

"Let me guess," Isaac started, "'Bout five four, fair skin, blonde hair, grey-green eyes?"

"Yeah. You run into her?" Stiles asked, handing Isaac the hot chocolate as he took his apron off and hung it up.

"Yes, quite literally. Her name's Poppy." He informed his friend. "There was something off about her."

"Off or not, she was… wow." Stiles grinned. "Maybe we'll run into her again."

"Doubt it. Said she was just passing through," Isaac shrugged as they walked toward Isaac's new car- courtesy of Derek. Isaac was the pack's little brother, they did pretty much everything for him, including buy him the midnight blue mercedes. He smiled as he looked down at his baby, sliding gracefully into the driver's seat as Stiles entered the passenger side. "Straight to Hale house or you wanna stop at your place first?"

"We can just go to Hale house," Stiles replied. "I kinda wanna rub it in Scott's face that I met a cute girl while his ex is a psycho nutcase."

"I agree on the psycho nutcase thing," Isaac told him, "but I don't think Scott's in the market for a new girlfriend currently." Stiles only shrugged, making a dismissive noise in the back of his throat as Isaac pulled out and started heading to their destination, where they knew that the pack would be waiting.

"Good, you're here," Derek said as they stepped into the living room with the rest of the pack. Stiles sat next to his best friend, Isaac on his other side. "Peter and I have agreed to take you to the Werewolf Council gala in two weeks," Derek stated, and everybody but Peter gave him confused looks. "It's basically to register any bitten werewolves and acknowledge any changes in status. Like, say if a Beta leaves their pack to become a lone wolf, that sort of thing."

"There's a werewolf _council_?" Jackson asked incredulously.

"Yes," Peter confirmed. "There are councils for the major Supernatural groups. Vampires, Werewolves, Fey and Shape-Shifters are the four big ones. Nobody keeps track of ghosts and demons, too many, and all other creatures are too uncivil to sit down and have a meeting."

"I need to be registered as an Alpha, and the rest of you as my pack. Even Stiles, Danny and Lydia." Derek told them. "It's basically a big party with a lot of food and alcohol."

"Alright," Erica said. "Sounds interesting."

"You don't have to be so worried about wolves and their territoriality there," Peter said, sensing their apprehension. "It's held on neutral ground." The pack all glanced at each other before nodding.

"We'll go," they agreed.

"Alright, now let's go get dinner," Scott suggested.

"Do you ever not feel hungry?" Lydia asked him and he shrugged.

"I agree with Scott," Isaac offered. "We never eat out as a pack." And it was agreed they would, mostly because nobody could argue with Isaac about anything.

When they entered the diner, Isaac perked at the familiar scent. Sure enough, sitting on her own and flirting with a waiter was the girl from earlier. Isaac chuckled. "Hey Stiles, there's your new love." He teased, and Stiles turned to look where Isaac was looking, seeing the familiar blonde as the waiter walked away.

"Stiles' new what?" Scott asked curious, looking over at the girl.

"She bought a coffee earlier and Stiles wanted to rub it in your face," Isaac answered, smirking. Scott nodded.

"I approve. She's hot." At this, the rest of the pack looked over as Poppy leaned back in her seat, looking the epitome of relaxed as she crossed her ankles and the waiter came back with a dark soda. She flashed him a dazzling smile and he stumbled back to the kitchen as she regarded her menu.

"There's something off about her," Peter echoed Isaac's earlier words.

"Oh well, I'm going over to introduce myself," Stiles said, leaving the pack as they got one of those large tables. Poppy looked up from her menu as the guy from the cafe sat across from her and beamed.

"Hi," she said, arching an eyebrow.

"Hi, I just wanted to introduce myself, since I never got to earlier. I'm Stiles Stilinski, and if there's anything you need while you're here, you can always talk to me." He said.

"Okay. I'm Poppy, and I'll keep that in mind, thanks." She shook his hand and he noticed what looked like a paw-print tattoo on her right wrist.

"Cool tattoo," he said. She chuckled.

"It's actually a birthmark. Weird, huh?"

"Weird yeah, but cool. Anyway, I gotta get back to my friends. You're welcome to come sit with us if you like," he offered. Poppy glanced over and saw the Beta from earlier, Isaac. That must be his pack.

"I'm fine, but thank you. I don't want to intrude." She fought to keep her heartbeat under control.

"You wouldn't be, honest."

"I think you're really sweet Stiles, but honestly, I'm in a bad place right now, and I think it's best if I keep to myself." She took his hands and smiled at him, a sad smile, before releasing his hands. "You should get back to your friends." Stiles nodded.

"Nice meeting you, Poppy."

"You too, Stiles." And he wandered off toward his friends as Poppy ducked her head, feeling her phone buzz against her thigh. She pulled it out of her pocket and her Father's number flashed across the screen. With a disgusted noise, Poppy hit the decline button and shoved the phone deep within her pockets, hand circling her drink as the waiter came back to take her order.

"Bacon cheeseburger with curly fries, please," she said weakly, looking down as the older boy nodded and left her. Poppy looked out the window and leaned back, pulling her feet up so her knees were at her chest before wrapping her arms around them. She knew she had to leave tomorrow, early the next day at the latest. Her father and his pack wouldn't leave Beacon Hills alone forever.

* * *

A/N: Haha, there you goes. I'm not fully into this story yet, so updates may be slower than with Alpha Female... although, I updated that abnormally fast...


	2. Chapter 2

Sucking on frozen blackberries, Isaac kept an eye on the blonde from the corner of his eye. He was barely paying attention to his dessert, only occasionally picking up one of the previously mentioned fruits. Something about her made him curious, whether it was the way she could charm both Stiles and the waiter so easily or the suspicious way she'd run away from him earlier.

"Isaac?" Derek asked, arching an eyebrow. "What's got you so distracted,"

"Something about her's getting to me," He stated, looking up at his Alpha, obviously distressed. "I don't think she's normal."

"I actually agree with the pup on this one," Peter mentioned. "She's familiar. With her looks, she reminds me of Haley Grace, you know, the late wife of Caleb Grace."

"I don't like him." Derek said.

"Who's Caleb grace?" Lydia asked.

"You'll meet him at the gala." Derek said shortly.

"You still haven't explained the whole she-wolf part of it." Peter told his nephew.

"So, the female wolves are really important to a pack because they're completely loyal when they find the right pack. They're carriers for the pups and are usually pretty skilled fighters-"

"Which means it makes no sense that you don't have many," Peter cut in, and Derek gave him a dirty look.

"I was looking for Beta material, and besides, most she-wolves with the proper skills are born that way." Derek argued.

"Guys? Can we maybe calm down a little bit?" Stiles asked. "Derek can meet some female Omega at the gala. Shouldn't be too hard to find one that we all like."

"Yes, right now we are having pack bonding time, and I seriously think you guys need more of that," Danny agreed wholeheartedly.

Peter and Derek once again exchanged glares before grumbling and going back to their desserts. When Isaac looked up to find the girl again, she was already gone.

Poppy exited the diner swiftly when the wolves were distracted, wrapping her coat tighter around herself when she noticed that it was actually cold. Chewing on her bottom lip, she glanced behind her, not believing her God-awful luck that she'd just run into somebody who potentially recognized her.

Peter Hale.

He used to be friends with her mom, and he'd babysit Poppy often, so she didn't doubt that he recognized her, which actually did make her panic slightly as she walked back to her hotel. He knew she was an Omega now, which meant he'd either be concerned or angry about her trespassing on his territory. She figured she was just lucky his nephew didn't seem to recognize her.

She pulled the keys out of her pocket five minutes later in front of her hotel room and fumbled to get the key into the lock, cursing breathlessly when she dropped it. Leaning down to pick it up, she froze at the sound of somebody behind her.

"Nervous, Poppy?"

"Dammit, Peter," she whirled around. "Yes, I'm freaking nervous, and I know you know why, so don't you dare patronize me!" She growled, pointing at the older man as she finally shoved the key into the lock and forced the door open. Peter followed her inside, taking in the two duffel bags and clothes scattered around, to the handgun sitting on the bed.

"You know you're in danger, right, Poppy? It isn't safe for an Omega to be running around alone, you know that." He sat down in the armchair and watched as the blonde girl shoved clothes into the duffel bags.

"I know, Peter, and if you're pissed about me being in your territory, don't worry about it. I'm not staying. I'm actually leaving tomorrow morning."

"Is this about that bastard?" Poppy froze for a second before she continued packing.

"Why do you ask?"

"Because, your mother asked me to keep you safe from him," Peter told her. "She knew what he was like."

"Yeah, well. He's getting worse. He's running around with this stupid Alpha pack of his-"

"He's part of that?" Peter asked, eyes wide.

"He's leading it." Poppy told him, turning around. "And he wants me back bad. Currently unaffiliated as I am, he's hunting me down and I can't keep running forever." She sat on the bed across from him. "I need to find a pack or a mate by the end of the Gala or he's going to get me."

"No. I promised I'd keep you safe from him and I'm going to. I'm trying to convince my nephew that he needs a female Omega anyways." Peter shook his head. "I'll go rogue if that's what it takes to keep your father away from you."

"You really loved my mom, didn't you?" She looked up at Peter with questioning eyes and he nodded.

"Yes, I really did. Caleb destroyed her, and I won't let that happen to you. You know I think of you as my own daughter." He lifted his hand to her cheek and she nodded. "Good. Now I'm going to speak with my nephew about taking you in. I need a way to contact you."

"I have a phone," Poppy pulled the device out of her pocket and Peter quickly put his number into it as she did the same for his. "Do you think you're going to be able to convince Derek to let me in the pack?"

"More likely than not, yes. Stilinski already likes you and Lahey was staring at you the entire time we were at the diner, so I can work off them." Peter answered. "But now I have to go, because they'll be suspicious of where I've disappeared to."

"You know I still have to leave tomorrow. Father won't leave your town alone together." Poppy told him, raising her eyes to the other's. He nodded.

"Just as long as you can make it back, if need be. For now, I'll see you at the Gala." And she nodded, taking a deep breath, looking outside.

"I feel like it should be raining, with us having this kind of conversation, you know," she turned to the other, small smirk gracing her features, and he chuckled humourlessly.

"I can see where you get that impression," Peter nodded. "I'll be calling you tomorrow to check up."

"Okay." She stood and hugged him briefly. "It's good to see you, Peter."

"You too, Poppy." He returned the embrace before turning to the door and heading outside, knowing he'd smell like her and that would potentially make Lahey suspicious. Poppy watched him go with a sigh before collapsing on the bed. She desperately needed sleep.

* * *

_Poppy opened her eyes slowly, accumulating to her location. It was dark, too dark for her to see anything, but it smelled dank and damp, like wet rocks. Pushing herself to her feet, she reached out, looking for something to steady herself with. Her fingers touched the damp cave wall, and she leaned her shoulder against it heavily, hands stretched outward, searching for something, feet sliding along the slick ground so she wouldn't trip._

_ Coming to the top of a steep downward slope, Poppy let out a breath and kneeled, brushing her fingertips along the unseen ground. Feeling the dip, she readjusted her position and slid down, feet first, before it started evening out more. It was still dark, every breath or scuff of her shoes echoing along what she presumed to be stone walls of some kind of cavern. Taking in a deep breath, she let it out slowly and started moving forward. The smell had changed somewhat. There was an opening somewhere up ahead, she could smell the freshness as compared to the stale air she was currently breathing in._

_ When she saw the shafts of light ahead, Poppy broke into a run. She stumbled a few times, falling only once and even then, she quickly rolled back to her feet and ambled on. When she reached the first shaft, she looked around, the slight light coming through the opening above her sending the surrounding space into a whole new perspective._

_ She was in a mine, Poppy realized as she looked around. She could see the wooden posts used to prevent the tunnels from collapsing. In the light, she began to assess herself. Her hair was lank, flat and her body covered in a fine layer of dirt and grime. Her clothes, a pair of heavy pants and long sleeved shirt, were torn and dirtied, and she was desperately famished and starving. She figured she'd focus on water first. Poppy looked around, sighing when she realized there was nothing useful to her within her line of sight, and she started moving again, knowing it may be a while before she reached the next shaft of fresh air and light._

_ She could barely tell what time was anymore, it didn't seem relevant as she moved through the mine caverns, carefully, her fingertips never leaving the left wall of the space. Her feet kicked at something small and movable, and Poppy dropped instantly to her knees, feeling around for the object again. It was short but wide and cylindrical, cool to the touch, and her fingers moved over a button. As she clicked it, light flooded the cavern._

_ Poppy shrieked, the sound seeming to shake the very foundations of the mine._

_ Four feet ahead of her lay a dead body, backpack beside it, slumped against the cave wall. She breathed deeply through her mouth, ignoring the stench as best she could, and she left the lantern where it was for the moment, moving to look through the backpack. It wasn't ideal, but survival was her new priority._

_ The topmost bottle of water was in her hand before her brain registered she'd seen it, and she unscrewed the cap with shaking fingers, lifting the rim to her lips as she tipped it back, the liquid easing down her sore and dry throat. She sighed, pleased, and drank half the bottle before returning it to the backpack. The contents consisted of a bedroll and insulated sleeping bag and several bags of dried fruit and meat. Poppy sent a quick prayer of thanks to whoever was listening and tossed the pack over her shoulder, picking up the lantern with her free hand before beginning to move forward again. Now that she had light, she wanted to focus all her energy on solving this labyrinth and reaching fresh air. A few times, she'd stop, rest her back against the wall and munch at the dried fruit and drink the water, but she could tell she hadn't eaten in a while, and that it would be a bad idea to reintroduce a large amount of food into her system at once, werewolf or not._

_ She estimated she'd been in this cave for close to twenty seven hours when she heard footsteps behind her. Heavy and fast, Poppy felt her eyes grow wide as she dropped the pack and sprinted, her worn runners pounding at the floor as she clutched desperately at the lantern before it started flickering and then died all at once. There were extra batteries in the pack, but the sound of those loud steps caused her to drop the lantern, the shattering of the lightbulb echoing too loudly in her oversensitive ears as she ran. Her eyes, glowing blue, started picking out faint shapes, but she failed to see the rock in front of her until her shoe caught it and she sprawled forward, the skin on her elbows and chin peeling off and bleeding before she felt them start to grow back._

_ Poppy turned around at the sound of the heavy breathing, seeing her father's grinning face above her, claws and fangs extended and his eyes glowing red with murderous intent. She tried to scream-_

Poppy sat up in bed with a gasp, chest rising and falling heavily, heart racing and eyes glowing blue. She pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her slick forehead against them, trying to calm her nerves as she continually told herself _it-was-only-a-dream,you're-safe,he-can't-get-you,you'll-be-okay,you're-stronger-than-this,dammit-Poppy. _

Somewhat successful in calming herself back down, Poppy vaulted off the bed and hurriedly showered, changing into a pair of dark pants and a dark sweater, and grabbed her bags, hurrying down to the lobby. She dinged the bell, waking the night Manager, and she handed him her key.

"I have to leave, something came up. Room's already been paid for." She moved quickly toward the doors, leaving the man dumbstruck behind her as she rushed out to the Mustang she'd been given for her sixteenth birthday. Tossing her bags into the passenger seat, she gunned the engines, speeding out of the parking lot and onto the road out of Beacon Hills. Poppy vaguely realized it probably wasn't one of her smarter ideas to drive while she was this edgy, but putting some distance between her and her father, who she knew would still be lingering until he was sure she's gone.

It was just getting light when the blonde stopped in at a fast-food restaurant, ordering everything on the breakfast menu to go, not realizing how little she'd eaten at the diner yesterday, and with a werewolf's metabolism, she'd burned it off really quickly. When the cashier gave her the bag, she tossed down a couple twenties and hurried out, ignoring the call out for her to collect her change. It was only once she'd bundled back into the car with her food resting beside her that Poppy felt safe enough to relax. She pulled the hood off and ran a hand through blonde strands, eyes unfocused as she slowly started the car, reaching into the bag as she pulled out one handed, and got back on the freeway.

Poppy only registered where she was going when she saw the sign telling her she was entering Palo Alto. She let out a sigh on relief, thanking her instincts and speeding up marginally, passing two drivers that could be senior citizens for their pace. She glanced in the mirror, pulled off onto a central street and reached for her wallet just as her phone started ringing. Her hand hesitated over the device for a second before she picked it up.

"Hello?" She asked, apprehensive.

"You left without saying goodbye." Poppy let out a barking laugh.

"Yeah, well. I have a sociopath stalking me, and he gets impatient." She answered, stance relaxing.

"Where are you headed?" Peter asked, sounding concerned.

"I'm in Palo Alto currently, not sure where I'll head after this." She replied after a moment's hesitation.

"You're coming to the council meeting?" Peter pressed. Poppy let out another humourless laugh.

"I don't see how I have much of a choice. Everybody there knows who I am, but then again, I go and I'll be easy pickings for Caleb." She growled.

"I told you I'd protect you, remember. I'll see you there." He hung up before she could reply and Poppy nodded, pulling the phone away from her ear. She figured that the call had been more to assure himself that she was alive, so she let it go and got out of the car.

* * *

A/N: Is it too much to ask for a review? Come on people, I put these stories up here for feedback!


	3. Chapter 3

The Hale pack was gathered around the TV for movie night aside from Peter, when they heard the low rumble of a familiar Audi pulling into the driveway. Derek glanced up toward the door and smirked as they listened to the sound of heels clicking up the porch steps, and then the door opening, the sound of a soft sigh and the scent of warm vanilla and brown sugar, of home and pack.

"Baby? I'm home!" A voice called, and they heard her pause to take off the heels and drop them on the floor before moving to the living room. She smiled warmly at the pack and moved over to Derek, giving him a quick kiss before ruffling at Isaac's head, who had stood to say hi. "You guys miss me?"

"Welcome home, Mom," Scott called from the floor, and Kali Hale smirked at him and returned Isaac's hug.

"What, I only get hugs from Isaac now?" Putting her hands on her hips, Kali raised an eyebrow expectantly at the pack, and Derek chuckled, turning to look at his mate. She was wearing a dark blue dress with cropped leather jacket, it was obvious she'd been later than expected with the meeting, because she seemed exhausted. After getting the expected hugs from all the pack, she headed up to the room she and Derek shared and started pulling her clothes off. Her jacket was dropped haphazardly onto the vanity and Derek came upstairs just in time to see her slip out of the dress. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, inhaling deeply.

"Missed you," he told her, kissing her neck.

"Time for that later," Kali told him, peeling his arms from around her and grabbing a pair of shorts and one of Derek's large shirts for pyjamas. For a second, the scar of his bite was revealed, a few shades darker than her skin, mere inches above her heart. Derek smiled, lifting his gaze to her face as the mark was covered by his massive shirt that could have easily been a dress on Kali's slender frame. "Come on, the pack's waiting," she reached out for Derek's hand, and he took it obediently, pulling her against his chest.

"Why can't we just hang up here for a while?" He asked, breath hot on her ear. Kali shuddered, melting into him temporarily, and he grinned, tilting her chin up so he could kiss her, brief but breathtaking, and he pulled off when she put both hands on his chest and lowered herself.

"There are young puppies in the living room that can hear us," She told him.

"I'd hardly call them 'young' after everything they've been through. Immature, yes absolutely, but they've grown up fast in the past while," Derek murmured into her hair, inhaling the scent of her shampoo and tiredness.

"You're ignoring my point," She leant back and stared up into his eyes. "My _point_ is that they can hear us, so we aren't allowed to get into any shenanigans. Later," Kali promised as she pulled him down the stairs. Derek took his place on the couch and Kali folded herself onto his lap, focus zeroing in on the TV within seconds.

"Derek?" the Alpha looked up at his uncle's voice. "I need to speak with you. It's important." Derek nodded, brow furrowing, as he took the- now sleeping- human off his lap and set her down next to Isaac before following his uncle out of hearing range.

"What is it?" Derek asked, leaning against the wall next to Peter's room.

"It has something to do with the whole she-wolf thing." Peter started cautiously. "I think I have a good candidate for you, and she comes from a rough background. You like picking up strays," the older said. Derek's eyes narrowed.

"If you're screwing with me…" Derek warned, and Peter rolled his eyes.

"I'm not. This girl just happens to be important to me. Not in the way you're thinking," Peter added. "She's like a daughter to me." Derek sighed but nodded.

"Alright. Who is she?"

It was raining hard, and Poppy's hair and clothes were plastered to her body as she walked up to the house. She was fairly impressed at the notion that is was raining so hard that she was soaked in seconds, and rapped on the door, shivering. The girl who opened the door took in Poppy's appearance before cursing breathlessly and dragging the wolf inside.

"What have you done this time, flower?" she asked in a thick British accent.

"Lucy, you wound me," Poppy laughed. "Always assuming I've done something?"

"Because you've usually done something," The young witch replied. "Now sit down, I'll make tea and you need to dry off, I don't care if you wolves are immune to catching cold, you should listen to me anyway." Lucy got up and walked toward the kitchen as Poppy smirked. "And take that jacket off, dry it by the fire."

"Yes mom." Poppy replied, and Lucy laughed. "Seriously, though. I really haven't done anything, 'cept run away from my father, and admit it, you completely saw that one coming."

"Well yeah, but your father's an inconsiderate bastard, no offence meant to you, darling," Lucy retorted. "But he is heartless."

"I'm aware," Poppy shuddered. "I wish he wasn't even my father."

"I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't," Lucy told her, walking back in with two mugs of tea and handing one to Poppy. "You may be tough as nails, but you've a heart."

"Thanks," Poppy blew on the tea before taking a sip, ignoring the burning sensation on her tongue, knowing that the werewolf healing would take care of it. "I'm actually unbelievably glad I ran. Being a Delta meant I had a decent amount of authority, but it was just too hard."

"What about your mother?"

"Caleb killed her the day I ran. He found out she was with another man the night before the wedding. Bet it was Peter." She smiled ruefully at that. "Wish he was my dad."

"Peter Hale? You know he went insane a while back and started killing people, right?" Lucy asked, concerned.

Poppy only shrugged. "Maybe, but he was out of his right mind then. He's better now. Been checking up on me."

"Not surprised," Lucy laughed. "You need to have somebody checking up on you. Will you be staying the night?" She stood and put her mug down, reaching for the TV remote. "We can watch bloody awful horror movies, just like old times."

"Sure," Poppy agreed with a smile. "I'd like that." She stood and looked outside. "You got an umbrella. My stuff's in the car." Lucy nodded and handed the wolf an umbrella, and Poppy poked her head outside, opened the umbrella, and sighed in relief when no drops of ice-cold water hit her. She was in and out of the car in under a minute, and hurried back to the house, kicking off her wet shoes and closing the umbrella as she set her bags down.

"And how many weapons are in there?" Lucy asked, eyeing the duffels distastefully.

"No more than usual when I come visit. A handgun, couple knives," Poppy nudged a bag with her toe. "I'm a girl, I'm physically weaker than most male wolves, so I need to protect myself somehow. And maybe I can't touch 'bane, but bullets still hurt like a bitch."

"Why are they after you?" Lucy asked. "What do they want?"

"I got out. They want to teach my a lesson, maybe kill me, at the very least beat me and rank me as an Omega."

"You're an Omega right now, though." Lucy said slowly, not understanding.

"But I _was_ a Delta. I was in training to be a Beta and I was the Alpha's daughter. I was safe from most wolves. Now? Well. Caleb's angry, and he's formed a pack of Alpha wolves. I fear how this will turn out."

"As you should." The witch nodded. "This won't turn out well."

"I know." Poppy looked out into the rain. "Believe me, I know that all too well."

* * *

A/n: Next Chapter gets slightly more exciting for you, so enjoy the wait for that, and please, give me a review this time! If you have time to read, you have time to write a simple 'great' or 'continue' or to you haters, 'this sucks' or whatever.

In advance to any haters: Nobody likes you.

Please? For a desperate author pleading on her knees for some reviewer love? *Insert famous McCall puppy eyes*


	4. Chapter 4

It was around four am when the window was shattered. Poppy bolted up from her spot on the couch, leaping to her feet as a bullet struck Lucy between the eyes. The young Omega gasped, reeled backwards and hit a strong chest. One arm wrapped around her middle and lifted her off the ground as a second covered her mouth to keep her from screaming. Poppy panicked as her father and a few other wolves leaped through the window. The girl squirmed,biting and scratching at the man that held her, eyes flashing blue and claws and fangs elongating. Her father sneered down at the dead witch and then looked over at his daughter and smirked.

"You actually thought you'd get away?" He stalked forward and ran the back of his hand down Poppy's cheek in a mocking gesture as his lips curled. Poppy squeezed her eyes shut, calming her pounding heart, and then glared at the man in front of her, smashing a foot into the side of his head. His head was snapped around, and when he looked at her again, his eyes were a deep red and he was growling.

"You don't own me," Poppy hissed upon getting her face free of that hand. It moved down to her throat and squeezed. Caleb snarled and slammed a fist into her gut hard enough that she tried to curl in upon herself, her breath immediately cut off. When the hand around her neck eased it's grip she gasped and choked.

"Of course I own you," Caleb growled. "You're a worthless child, an Omega at that. There's nothing remotely special about you." He slapped her, claws leaving long scratch marks across her cheeks, blood dripping down her face like crimson tears as her breathing became ragged.

A phone ringing shattered the scene. Caleb gestured at the man holding Poppy, and her mouth was once again covered as her father picked up her phone and hit the accept button.

"Poppy can't come to the phone right now, can I take a message?" He asked, managing to keep the growl out of his voice as he watched her struggling. His eyes got hard when he heard the voice on the other end. "Peter Hale," this time he did growl. "And what business do you have with my daughter?" Poppy couldn't identify what Peter was saying, but she twisted around in the hold and smashed her head against the wolf's nose, hearing a crunch before warm blood seeped into her hair. The man yelped, and dropped her, and Poppy leaped up, kicking Caleb hard and grabbing the phone before dashing away, snatching the handgun out of her duffel bag.

"Peter, I'm in serious trouble," she gasped into the phone.

"Poppy, you need to tell me where you are, alright, I'm coming to get you." Peter told her, voice frantic.

"I'm about ten miles west of Palo Alto, heading back toward the city, please hurry." She hung up and stuffed the phone into her pocket, tearing through the forest, rain pounding down and washing the blood off her face and hair as she ran. She could hear the snarls behind her, and she pulled the gun up and loaded, holding the cool metal steadily in her right hand. One of the Alphas was approaching, and as it came up even with her, she turned the gun on it, not even looking, and shot. Satisfied with the yelp and crash she heard, Poppy sped her pace. She knew she could easily run to civilization, but so could they, and they were faster than she was.

Their footsteps seemed to echo around her, reminding her of the dream, and Poppy clenched her free fist and started running faster, ducking under branches and weaving through trees, making her way through the thick of the forest. It was harder for them to catch up to her here, and she could hear them fall behind as she panted, just barely slowing her pace to one she could endure until she hit the road.

Everything would be deserted at this time of night, which she knew meant that it would take Peter significantly less time to find her, and she was glad for that as she finally broke free of the trees. It was another half-mile into town, so she sped up,hearing nothing but her footsteps, the rain pounding cement, and her own heartbeat, sounding frantic and wild in her ears. She didn't stop when she saw the headlights, only when the car pulled up beside her and the back door opened, a figure yanking her in and holding her still as the driver turned around recklessly and started speeding off.

"Poppy. Poppy, you need to calm down and listen to me." Peter. She looked up. There was a driver, Peter was in the passenger seat, and then there was another person in the backseat with her, rubbing at her arms, trying to get her to respond.

"I didn't think they'd find me this fast," it was a breathy whisper, but she knew they heard it. "They found me, and now Lucy's dead and they're going to kill me," she panted desperately.

"Poppy, you're safe, they aren't going to get you." The person next to her promised and she looked up at them, and it was that Isaac boy, but he didn't seem to care about the fact that she'd been trespassing on his territory, he just looked worried. She turned and buried her face in his shoulder, shaking, and he ran his fingers through her hair, trying to keep her calm.

"What are we going to do?" Derek asked, looking at his uncle from the corner of his eye.

"We're going to keep her safe," Peter replied. "Just like I always swore I'd do." Derek nodded.

"Isaac, how's she doing?"

"She's asleep," Isaac replied. "I can't believe I didn't realize she was a werewolf when I met her."

"You knew that she wasn't human, you just didn't recognize her because she's had practice hiding it," Peter replied. "She knew it was dangerous being in Beacon Hills when it was already claimed territory, so she was trying to get out of there as soon as she could."

"And neither of you care about her having been on our territory?"Isaac asked. "Just to be clear."

Both Hales shrugged, making noncommittal noises in the back of their throats. "I was very close with Poppy's mother. She's like a daughter to me," Peter answered.

"Yeah, we used to play, you know, when we were younger," Derek added. "I babysat her a couple times. Seems fitting she join the pack."

"Okay," Isaac nodded, looking down at the sleeping girl using his chest as a pillow. One of her hands was fisted in his shirt, and when he noticed the soaking girl shiver, he slid his jacket off, trying not to jostle her as he wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling her closer against him. She sighed and nuzzled closer, and he smiled.

"We're almost home," Derek said a few minutes later. "You wanna carry her in?"

"Sure," Isaac answered, "can you get the door?" The Alpha nodded and opened the door as Isaac pulled Poppy into his arms carefully, sliding out of the car and moving toward the front door, where Peter was waiting.

"C'mon, let's get her dried off," the older said, moving so Isaac could go inside with the girl held securely in his arms. Most of the pack was asleep, save Lydia, who was waiting up for them.

"So this is Poppy," she said, and the boys all nodded. The sleeping blonde moaned slightly and clutched at Isaac's shirt tighter, breathing beginning to speed up. Lydia walked forward and put a hand on her shoulder, shaking gently until the other girl gasped, eyes flying open before she squeezed them closed and swallowed.

"What- I fell asleep, didn't I?" she asked.

"Yeah, pretty much," Derek chuckled, and Poppy smiled slightly as Isaac set her down, letting her lean against him. "How are you feeling?"

"Cold, worried, and guilty, but I'll be fine." She replied. "I just need to dry off and get warm."

"My thoughts exactly." Peter cut in. "You can borrow some clothes until we get some for you." And so he let Lydia lead the blonde upstairs.

"She can have my bed, I'll sleep on the couch," Isaac offered, gesturing toward the pack-sized couch. Derek nodded and gestured toward the linen closet.

"Alright, Kali stocked up the closet with blankets and pillows for movie nights." He said. "I'll see you guys in the morning." The Alpha turned and headed up the stairs, swiftly disappearing into his room and falling into bed with his sleeping mate. Peter walked over to his room downstairs, and Isaac ran up to his room to change before dragging some blankets and pillows out of the closet and curling up on the couch.

"Thanks for this," Poppy said as she finished drying off her hair. She was dressed in a pair of pyjama pants and a tank top, and Lydia smiled.

"It's no problem," she said. "Isaac took the couch, his room's right across the hall for you to sleep in."

"He didn't have to do that, I could have slept on the couch," Poppy said.

"Don't worry about it, that's the type of thing Isaac does. He's a sweetie," Lydia smiled. "You should get some sleep. You can meet the rest of the pack tomorrow."

"Okay. Thanks again, Lydia." Poppy smiled and walked into the room across the hall. It smelled strongly of Isaac, something musky, with tones of pine and something sweet. She smiled, sitting down on the bed and looking around. The room had been painted a forest-y green colour and it had hardwood floors. The bed was large, a queen-sized, with dark covers. One wall was nearly covered with pictures and drawings, and there was a large window revealing the moon on one wall. Poppy sighed deeply before curling up over the covers and falling into a light sleep.

* * *

A/N: Kay, dunno what to say to you guys here. Uhm, please review, I won't be updating for a few days, please don't kill me? I'm having a sleepover with a couple friends on Saturday, Teen Wolf marathon while me and one of the friends try to get the other onto the teen wolf train. Mmm, Dylan O'Brien :) God, they stacked that show with either unbelievably cute or hot guys! Seriously!


	5. Chapter 5

Poppy had never seen anybody enjoy the snow as much as Isaac Lahey.

She blinked owlishly at him as he rolled around in it, laughing, with the rest of the pack. Stiles and Lydia were engaged in a snowball war, Danny and Jackson joining in somewhat, although with notably less competitiveness, while Scott built a snowman. Peter was somewhere within the house, upstairs, if Poppy was hearing right, and she was sitting on the porch with Derek, a mug of hot chocolate in her hands and wrapped in a mass of blankets. Still, she shivered. Since they'd rescued her a few days ago, she'd been stuck with a rather stubborn cold, and Peter refused to let her join the pack with the weather and her stupid, stuffed up nose.

"They're like pups," Derek muttered next to her, but Poppy knew him well, and he wasn't doing much to hide his amusement.

"Let them have their fun," she told him, leaning against his shoulder somewhat as another fit of harsh coughs wracked her body. Poppy shuddered and took another sip of the warm drink. Derek frowned- it wasn't often that a werewolf was sick for as long as the Omega had been- with wolf healing, it was normally gone within a few days. "Remember when we were pups?"

"Is that supposed to reassure me?" Derek asked. When he and Poppy were younger, they had the destructive force of a hurricane, but entirely more dangerous. Poppy socked his arm at the remark, shivering harder. The Alpha rolled his eyes and pulled her into his arms, walking back inside and depositing her on the couch. "Go to sleep, you useless pup. You can't defend yourself if you're sick."

"Thanks, Captain Obvious," the blonde murmured, turning so she was facing the back of the couch and pulling her knees to her chest. After a few moments, her breathing evened out, and Derek let out a sigh, walking into the kitchen.

"How's she doing?" Kali asked, not looking up. She'd gotten pretty good at listening for the pack, especially when it came to the kitchen. After the Thanksgiving incident...

"Same as she was when you asked two hours ago," Derek replied, wrapping his arms around his mate from behind and resting his chin on her head. Kali rolled her eyes and tried to shove him off.

"Come on, I've got cookies in the oven, and if you don't get your ass off me, they'll burn. You know how the kids get when the cookies get burned." She chastised, and the wolf reluctantly released her, allowing her to pull the last batch of cookies from the oven and turn it off. "So, why isn't she healing, then?"

"Hell if I know," Derek sighed. "Poppy's usually a pretty fast healer, too, even by wolf standards. I don't understand what's up with her, and it's starting to worry me."

"Starting?" Kali arched an eyebrow. "Der, even I can hear the anxiety in your voice, you've got the pack stressed. Hell, _Scott_ is picking up on it. Scott, Derek. You know how oblivious he is."

"She's like-"

"-A little sister to you, I get it. Believe me, I get it," the healer told him, resting her palm on his cheek. "The worry is making things worse though. She's obviously an empath- type, something I've seen in the occasional Omega, and she's absorbing the brunt of all this emotion. If everybody doesn't calm down, she's only going to get worse."

"I thank you, for showing my nephew what's right in front of his nose," Peter mentioned from the doorway, where he was watching the girl on the couch. "I think I'll bring down another blanket." With that, he was gone. Kali sighed and shook her head.

"You're lucky I understand wolves so well." Derek nodded in agreement, pulling her close again, her back to his chest as he inhaled her scent. Warm vanilla and brown sugar, the same as it was back when he first broke into- erm, _visited_ Stiles room after she came home again. He smiled fondly, burying his nose in her hair, and held her in an embrace, waiting for one of the hungry pups to come ruin the moment.

* * *

Poppy yawned, her ears popping, and stretched out, tilting her head back to rest against the fluffy pillow behind her. It smelled like Isaac, just like the flannel shirt and shorts she wore. He'd barely left her side since they stole her back from Caleb, as Stiles liked to say, even though he wasn't involved, as Jackson was fond of pointing out. She blinked a couple times before registering that her legs and feet rested comfortably on two bodies, and that the TV was running. She could hear the crunch as somebody munched on popcorn, and, oddly enough, the sharp scent of tabasco reached her nose.

"Morning, sleeping beauty," Lydia joked as Poppy sat up some, glancing around the room like a caged animal. Her eyes took in the position of the pack members, noting the absence of Peter and Kali, who was presumably sleeping. Being a healer with a bunch of werewolves this attracted to trouble couldn't be easy. Derek was by her feet, with Stiles in one armchair and Danny in the other. Scott, Lydia and Jackson had spread blankets and sleeping bags on the floor, and were all curled up there, absorbed by the movie. Something Marvel, by the look of it. Maybe Thor.

"What time is it?" the blonde asked, running a hand through her hair and yawning again, blinking hard when a sudden pain knifed through her gut.

"Almost midnight, but it's movie night, so Mom's letting us stay up," Isaac replied. He was the one sitting beneath her thighs. She smiled at him, trying to mask the pain her stomach was causing her. It was a mix of nausea and the feeling of having swallowed glass shards, Poppy knew it well, and she knew it would only get worse. Sometimes ginger tea helped, but as soon as her stomach began to settle, she'd be sick, and the process would start all over. She flinched slightly as another wave of sharp pain resonated through her midsection.

"You okay?" Isaac asked, drawing attention.

"Fine," Poppy gritted out between clenched teeth. "Just dizzy, it'll pass." The others settled at that, aside from Derek, who scowled at her and came closer, sniffing at her.

"We need to call Deaton," he growled. "You're getting worse."

"Am not," Poppy argued weakly, but she was feverish and sweating, and felt like somebody was slicing her insides to ribbons. Derek gave Isaac a pointed look, and he gently lifted Poppy into his arms. She yelped, clutching at her stomach, eyes shut tightly. The movie had been paused, and Peter had Ninja-Wolfed his way into the room as Isaac carted his charge off to the nearest car, Stiles' jeep.

"I need to borrow your keys," Derek told him, though the voice he was using was more demanding, an unspoken threat of 'if you don't fork over the keys I will bite your head off', and Stiles nodded, fishing the keys from his pocket and dropping them into Derek's hand.

"We'll call Deaton, let him know you're on your way," the human told him. Derek nodded his thanks, following his Beta and the girl he considered a little sister into the car. Isaac folded his lanky body into the car, holding Poppy protectively in his lap as Derek started the jeep and pulled a U- turn out of the driveway, toward the town. He had a good idea what was wrong with Poppy, and if he was right, they'd already wasted too much time.

* * *

A/N: Here you guys go, a nice short chapter with a cliffy because I randomly got inspiration and I don't know where or why asknkfjbjsdf skfbskjdfvmdnf. Anyways, so, yeah, this story, as I've said, is not discontinued. I will update at random intervals few and far between. Long waits, I apologize profusely, but you can't tell me that rare updates are worse than no updates. I know this. I have lived this.


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